Luanda – The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, attended on Monday the central parade of the Luanda Carnival, held on the Nova Marginal of the Angolan capital.
Accompanied by the First Lady of the Republic, Ana Dias Lourenço, the Head of State witnessed the parade of 13 carnival groups.
This year marked the return to class A of the emblematic União Operário Kabocomeu, winner of the first edition of the Independent Angola carnival, in 1978, after having won class B in 2023.
The group União Recreativo do Kilamba showed off to defend the trophy won in 2023, with strong opposition from other groups such as União Mundo da Ilha, the bogeyman of Luanda's carnivals, with 14 titles, União Kiela and, perhaps, Kabocomeu himself, which are groups with more than half a century of existence and prestige and, therefore, are part of the heritage of the Luanda Carnival.
União Kazucuta do Sambizanga was the first to parade and União Recreativo do Kilamba, the title holder, the last.
Three groups come from Sambizanga, two from Cazenga, as well as from Maianga, Rangel, Viana, while the rest come from Ingombota and Quiçama.
The Semba dance style was the most represented, with six groups, followed by Kazucuta, by four, on a stage where there was also space for the head and sambalage.
The first-place winner of the 46th edition of the Luanda Carnival, in class A, will receive the sum of 15 million Kwanzas as a prize, as opposed to the five million for the 2023 edition.
The second-place winner receives 10 million Kwanzas and the third five million, according to the president of the Luanda Provincial Carnival Association (APROCAL), Nataniel Narciso.
In class B, the first classified will receive five million, the second three million and the third classified the amount of two million kwanzas.
For the Children's class, the organization will award the winners the sum of eight million, six million and four million, respectively. ART/DOJ
